Written Answers

Tuesday 10 October 2000

Scottish Executive

Cancer

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-9616 by Susan Deacon on 19 September 2000, whether it holds any information on numbers of breast reconstruction nurses and who holds the information requested in question S1W-9616 in the detail required.

Susan Deacon: Breast reconstruction nurses are employed by NHS Trusts. Information on the numbers employed by each Trust and whether these positions are full or part time can be obtained from individual Trusts.

Cancer

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-9630 by Susan Deacon on 19 September 2000, whether it will provide details of the media campaigns launched since 1 July 1999, specifying the cost of each and the criteria by which the success of each campaign is measured.

Susan Deacon: The Scottish Executive does not hold information in relation to all health boards’ individual breast cancer screening media campaigns.

Community Care

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to aid support groups for self-harmers.

Iain Gray: All applications from support groups are given equal consideration by local authorities, the NHS and the Scottish Executive.

  Guidance on the best organisation of screening, services and support for those who self-harm was published within the Framework for Mental Health Services in Scotland. That guidance recognised the range of support required from primary to specialist care and social services.

  A copy of the Framework for Mental Health Services in Scotland is available in SPICe (Bib. no. 7392).

Council Tax

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking, in partnership with local authorities, to (a) reduce any delays in sending out council tax bills and progressing forms and (b) simplify forms to enable earlier completion.

Mr Jack McConnell: I would refer the member to the joint CoSLA/Scottish Executive report It Pays to Pay and to my answer to question S1W-4296 to Des McNulty of 23 February.

  We have made regulations that will allow councils to commence billing and collecting council taxes from 1 April 2001, rather than 1 May as at present. Furthermore, from 1 April 2001, councils will be able to issue a combined reminder and final notice rather than two separate notices.

Deaf People

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many social workers are dedicated to working with deaf people in each local authority area.

Iain Gray: This information is not held centrally.

Deaf People

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to address any shortfalls in the level of social work services for the deaf.

Iain Gray: Over £1.1 billion has been allocated to local authorities for social work expenditure in Scotland, an increase of 4% on last year. People with a hearing impairment will benefit from these resources through a range of services. It is the responsibility of local authorities to assess the needs of deaf people for services and make provision for these within their budget.

E-Commerce

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it will take to establish Scotland as the prime location for the translation of English-language, North American new economy business models such as ebay or Monster.com for the country markets of the EU.

Henry McLeish: The expanding e-commerce sector is one which is expressing a strong interest in Scotland as a business location.

  Locate in Scotland and its partners see these projects as representing substantial opportunities for inward investment and are ensuring that companies are aware of the attributes Scotland has to offer to make it a prime location for e-business. These include a first class telecoms infrastructure, the availability of suitable sites and a workforce which possesses the language skills that will encourage dot.com companies to make Scotland the base for their European operations.

Exam Results

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether HM Inspectorate of Schools was alerted to any potential difficulties with the administration of the marking of this year’s exam results, and, if so, when.

Mr Sam Galbraith: HM Inspectorate of Schools has no locus in the administration of marking. However, Education Department officials including HMI became aware in June that SQA were short of markers in some subjects.

Exam Results

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publicise the precise remit of each inquiry or review referred to in the Ministerial Statement by the Minister for Children and Education on 6 September 2000 on the exam results which it has initiated and whether it has carried out any consultation as to the extent of such remits.

Mr Sam Galbraith: The terms of reference for the independent review being carried out by Deloitte & Touche have been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre. Consultation on the remit for this inquiry was not possible in the time available. The precise terms of reference for the Policy and Financial Management Review of the Scottish Qualifications Authority have yet to be agreed, but will be made public in due course.

Exam Results

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consult teachers, parents and others directly involved in education regarding its response to any interim conclusions of the reports of the Education, Culture and Sport and Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Committees into this year’s exam results.

Mr Sam Galbraith: I will have to see the nature of any interim conclusions in the reports of the two committees before deciding whether any consultation on the Executive’s response is appropriate.

Fisheries

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the current state is of cod stocks off the west coast of Scotland, whether any new measures are planned in connection with the management of such stocks and, if so, what discussions have taken place with the industry.

Mr John Home Robertson: The need for management measures for west of Scotland cod will be considered in the light of scientific advice from the Advisory Committee on Fishery Management (ACFM). We expect this advice by November 2000. If the nature of the advice suggests that new management measures are required then I will discuss the available options with the Scottish fishing industry.

Fuel

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is consulted over the number and siting of fuel distribution centres and what response it has made to any such consultation.

Henry McLeish: There has recently been extensive consultation between the Scottish Executive and the UK Government about locations of fuel distribution centres and priority filling stations. The Executive has in turn been consulting a number of organisations in Scotland about the prioritisation of fuel depots and filling stations in order that an effective coverage across Scotland is achieved.

Local Government

Scott Barrie (Dunfermline West) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it intends to respond to the consultation on Best Value in Local Government: Next Steps .

Mr Frank McAveety: We have extended the period of consultation by three weeks to accommodate a number of organisations who asked for more time to prepare their responses. The consultation period will now end on 20 October 2000. As a result of this extension we now intend to respond to the consultation by the end of the year.

Public Appointments

Elaine Smith (Coatbridge and Chryston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many posts of Commissioner and/or Ombudsperson have been created since 1 July 1999, what these posts are, and whether it is proposed to create more such posts.

Mr Jack McConnell: The Water Industry Act 1999 provided for the appointment of a Water Industry Commissioner, who was appointed on 1 November 1999. The Ethical Standards in Public Life etc. (Scotland) Act 2000 provides for the appointment of a Standards Commission for Scotland consisting of not fewer than three members. The Regulation of Investigatory Powers (Scotland) Act 2000 provides power for the Scottish Ministers to appoint a Chief Surveillance Commissioner and such number of other Surveillance Commissioners as they think fit.

  On 3 October, I published a consultation paper, Modernising the Complaints System, as the first step towards meeting the requirement in the Scotland Act 1998 for the Parliament to set up permanent arrangements for investigating complaints of maladministration against the Scottish Executive. These permanent arrangements, which will replace the transitional arrangements under which the temporary Scottish Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration has investigated such complaints since 1 July 1999, could include the appointment of a new Commissioner or Ombudsman.

Residential Care

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to increase the capital limits which apply before long-term patients or their families have to pay towards their care.

Iain Gray: Changes to capital limits in assessing ability to pay for the costs of long-term residential care was one of a number of recommendations on charging made by the Royal Commission on Long Term Care. These have been considered in the current Spending Review and a full announcement on our response to all the Royal Commission’s recommendations was made on 5 October.

Residential Care

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-9206 by Mr Sam Galbraith on 19 September 2000, how many attacks were perpetrated against workers in children’s homes in Glasgow in each of the past five years.

Mr Sam Galbraith: Information on attacks specifically against workers in children’s homes is not available centrally. The member may wish to approach Glasgow Council for this information.

Scottish Opera

Mr Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether Scottish Opera have decided not to mount any main-scale performances outwith the central belt between January 2001 and March 2001 and, if this is so, whether Scottish Opera is fulfilling all its obligations as the national opera company.

Mr Sam Galbraith: Scottish Opera’s programme is a matter for the company, in consultation with the Scottish Arts Council.

Scottish Qualifications Authority

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, regarding the meeting between the Minister for Children and Education and the Chairman and Chief Executive of the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) on 25 July 2000, whether it will provide full details of the personal assurances given to the Minister that missing data was being addressed and, in particular, whether (a) the SQA explained which data was missing and, if so, what explanation was given and (b) the Minister sought a detailed explanation of how the problem was being addressed.

Mr Sam Galbraith: Details of the meeting on 25 July will be supplied to the Education, Culture and Sport Committee.

Scottish Qualifications Authority

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the Ministerial Statement by the Minister for Children and Education on 6 September 2000 and in particular his reference to reports from schools and colleges about problems with electronic transfer of information to the Scottish Qualifications Authority in March, (a) whether it will place in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) all documentary evidence of and relating to such reports; (b) when it first became aware of such reports; (c) when action was first considered and taken by the Minister in relation to such reports and whether it will place documentary evidence in SPICe, and (d) what recommendations were made by its officials on what steps should be taken regarding such reports and whether it will place documentary evidence in SPICe.

Mr Sam Galbraith: I refer Fergus Ewing to the answer I gave to question S1W-9737 on 28 September. It is not the practice of the Scottish Executive to make available advice from officials to Ministers.

Scottish Qualifications Authority

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive on what date or dates it was informed of (a) potential and (b) actual difficulties in recruiting sufficient exam markers.

Mr Sam Galbraith: The Executive became aware of potential difficulties with the recruitment of markers at the Scottish Executive/Scottish Qualifications Authority Liaison meeting on 10 May. Actual difficulties were identified as a result of a letter from SQA to centres on 31 May.